Should I keep the oldest titles on my To-Be-Read list? Let’s find out!
I recently came across Misty’s Book Space and the weekly tag run by @jodyblogs. Here’s how it works.
- Go to your Goodreads to-read shelf.
- Order on ascending date added.
- Take the first 5 (or 10 (or even more!) if you’re feeling adventurous) books. Of course, if you do this weekly, you start where you left off the last time.
- Read the synopses of the books
- Decide: keep it or should it go?
- Down The TBR Hole – please use the hashtag #DTTBRH and tag @jodyblogs.
This is a fantastic idea! I’m ready to refresh my memory while tidying up my TBR list!
My Goodreads TBR is at 391 titles.
My Kindle TBR holds 91 titles.
1. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Added: July 2015
Genre: Historical Fiction
Pro: Book about books
Con: I avoid books about Holocaust
Remove
2. Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli
Added: July 2015
Genre: Middle Grade/Contemporary
Pro: Celebrates nonconformity
Con: Manic-pixie dream girl trope
Keep
3. The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells
Added: July 2015
Genre: Classic/Science Fiction
Pro: Invisibility is funny
Con: Invisibility is creepy
Remove
4. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Joanne Gise
Added: July 2015
Genre: Classics
Pro: Adventure story
Con: A little bit old?
Keep
5. The Rest Is Noise: Listening to the Twentieth Century by Alex Ross
Added: July 2015
Genre: Non-fiction
Pro: I nerd-out over music…
Con: …but this is too intense
Remove
6. Mr. Darcy’s Diary (Jane Austen
Heroes, #1) by Amanda Grange
Added: July 2015
Genre: Austen re-telling
Pro: Sequel to Pride and Prejudice
Con: Diary-style can be boring, but…
Keep
7. The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly
Added: July 2015
Genre: Fantasy
Pro: Worldbuilding and adventure
Con: Angst-driven
Keep
8. I Capture the Castle bv Dodie Smith
Added: November 2015
Genre: Historical fiction
Pro: Character-driven
Con: Romance-driven
Keep
9. A Cup of Sake Beneath the Cherry Trees by Yoshida Kenko
Added: November 2015
Genre: Essays/Poetry
Pro: I like the idea but…
Con: Is it a faithful translation?
Remove
10. An Improbable Friendship: The Remarkable Lives of Israeli Ruth Davan and Palestinian Raymonda Tawil and Their Forty-Year Peace Mission by Anthony David
Added: November 2015
Genre: Dual-biography
Pro: Already on my Kindle
Con: Rarely in a biography mood
Remove
11. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
Added: November 2015
Genre: Classic/Coming Of Age
Pro: I’ll finally understand references
Con: Very, very male
Remove – I’m back and forth on this one!
12. The Princess Bride by William Goldman
Added: December 2017
Genre: Fantasy
Pro: Love the film
Con: None
Keep
13. Wonder by R.J. Palacio
Added: December 2017
Genre: YA Contemporary
Pro: Love the film
Con: Please, I don’t want to cry
Remove
14. Alice In Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
Added: December 2017
Genre: Fantasy
Pro: Surreality is my drug
Con: Can it live up to expectations?
Keep
15. The Wizard Of Earthsea by Ursula K. Leguin
Added: December 2017
Genre: Fantasy
Pro: A wizard on a quest
Con: I started the audiobook version and gave up as it began so slowly.
Keep
16. The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
Added: December 2017
Genre: Classics
Pro: I suspect it has a deeper level than smalltown misogyny
Con: Will anger me
Remove
17. The Phantom Of The Opera by Gaston Leroux
Added: December 2017
Genre: Classics
Pro: Would like to say I read it
Con: Likely better as a musical
Remove
18. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
Genre: Childrens’ Classic
Pro: It might be better than the film
Con: My interest level is low at the moment
Remove
19. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (Maya Angelou’s Autobiography)
Genre: Autobiography
Pro: I want to open my mind and heart to this important woman
Con: I don’t want to break my heart
Keep
20. The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway
Genre: Classics
Pro: Short
Con: A man and a fish
Remove
Lately, I prioritize a fun time over an intense read. I have also learned that many books are not worth my time, even classics, non-fiction, or award-winning titles. I think I’ll keep on reevaluating my list!
My Goodreads TBR is now at 380 titles.
Let me know if you try the challenge, too!
Voice of Reason 